I DEMAND JUSTICE!!!

My heart is dying bit by bit as I write this. A young activist was shot in the head at 7:20 today evening. Mohammad Afzal was killed on spot, his head splattered with a bullet, blood oozing out of the fatal head wound.

The shooter was not a criminal, not a drug dealer, nor a terrorist, he was a man in uniform; a man with the badge; a man who had taken the oath to protect freedom and uphold justice. Police, aided by Chatro League cadres, student organization of the Awami League, fired indiscriminately when a procession of Islami Chatro Shibir came out at came out at around 7:20 at Agrabad in Chittagong, in protest of the the verdict given out today against Abdul Kader Mollah. Around 30 more are being reported injured. The procession was in favour of enforcing a general strike on Wednesday throughout Bangladesh to protest the verdict, a right guaranteed by the constitution of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh.

Earlier in the day, another Shibir activist, Imran Khan, was martyred in broad daylight. The whole world saw the killing which was recorded live by television on cameras, yet the media remained silent. The Daily Star said, in that professional treacherous politically motivated tone, that “A man was killed in a gunfight between police and pro-hartal activists in Chittagong city during the Jamaat-enforced daylong hartal on Tuesday”, in its biased report entitled, “Cop-picket gunfight kills 1 in Ctg“. It has not, I repeat, it has NOT BEEN ABLE to PROVE that Jamaat and Shibir activists had ANY firearms. It has only been able quote police authorities “Habibur Rahman, deputy commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (West Zone), said. Police opened fire in self-defence, triggering a gunfight, the DC said. One was killed during the gun battle, he said adding that identity of the deceased could not be known immediately.”

The procession had started at around 1 o’clock at Alankar End turn area under Pahartoli Thana, when police, according to the Naya Diganta report started shooting with live ammo to disperse the protesters. A stray bullet hit Imran Khan, Shibir leader of 37 no. ward and Chittagong Polytechnic College student. This prompted the procession activists to start throwing bricks, stones and sticks to counter this aggression. Television cameras showed the dying Imran; his death throes as the Zuhr Azan was called were heartbreaking.

Naya Diganta reports of police firing also in another procession at around 1:15 p.m after news of Imran’s death spread around. A total of around 200 people were reported to be bullet ridden including about at least 50 activists of Jamaat Shibir in these two processions. Banglanews reporter Sohel Sarwar was also reported to be badly beaten by police while performing his duties.

Video and photo footage have emerged of Chandgao Thana officer in charge Pradeep Kumar Das arresting several Jamaat & Shibir men and then shooting them in the arms and feet. Naya Diganta Chittagong Bureau has further reported that a group of police under his command fired on praying men in Katalgonj Masjid.

I don’t know why I’m saying this but it is mentionable that according to Articles 38 and 39 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, every citizen of the State has the right to organise and participate in peaceful meetings and processions.